New World Order
by Ivoryrain
Summary: When the well closes up for good, Kagome finds that destroying Naraku in the past has changed her future!Demons are enslaved by the humans.Now Kagome has to try to make things right again, while searching for any of her friends that may have survived.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, my mind started to go on autopilot while I was reading something. I know, what's new? But I figured it was worth writing a first chapter to see how it would turn out. So here I go.**

It had been quite a few years since the well had closed after the last battle with Naraku. Kagome had been instrumental in killing him, and so now she felt the need to take responsibility for how Naraku's death affected the future.

Apparently, she and her friends' battle with Naraku had been a pivotal point in history. If they had lost, Kagome believed that the demons would have taken over all of Japan and humans would have been enslaved. As it was, Kagome and her friends had beaten him, and society remained the same for the most part. Except that demons were now enslaved to the humans. Kagome was horrified to find that anyone could own a demon slave and that they weren't hard to afford. They cost less than a bicycle would!

Another change was that the mystical aspects of the world were recognized by her society. There were mikos living in Japan who were revered and respected for their holy powers. Though being a miko was a rare thing, there were enough for a training facility to be built for mikos wishing to develop their abilities.

Needless to say, Kagome definitely chose that as her career. At the academy, she had been hailed as the most powerful priestess to be born since the legendary one who defeated Naraku single handedly. Kagome was very displeased that she had gotten all the credit for destroying him, and that her friends' part in the battle (Which was a major part. She knew that Naraku would have won if it hadn't been for her friends. She had only struck the final blow once he had been weakened by their group's efforts.) had been left unmentioned in history. She had not told anyone that she was the miko of legend. Who would believe her besides her family?

Speaking of her family, her grandfather had died a year or so back, leaving the shrine to her. Kagome had promptly turned into a center for exterminating and exorcising demon pests. That industry had been pioneered by an infamous couple. Their story had left a strong impression in history that was never forgotten. The woman was a strong demon slayer, and the man was a monk, although history did remark that he acted decidedly less than holy. After they got married, it was said that they roamed across the land, ridding the earth of demons who threatened the lives of humans and even brought peace between some demons and humans. After their deaths, the monk and demon slayer's children had continued this business until it had evolved a branch that became the modern slave trade. Kagome knew that Sango and Miroku were rolling in their graves when that happened. She felt sad to know that her friends' efforts to give the demons and humans equal rights and power had been rendered meaningless by their very offspring.

Getting back to her family's story, Kagome thought about her brother Sota. She had offered him a position in her business after he trained to become a demon slayer, but he turned it down in favor of working for an abolitionist organization. Kagome dearly wished that she could go about freeing slaves in that fashion, but a miko was not supposed to be a radical. They were supposed to be caring and nurturing in their efforts to do anything. So Kagome had made a side business of buying demons and caring for them until they were ready to have their rights and social status restored. Her successes so far were few, but well known.

The side business had started one day when she walked by a pet store. One window advertised demonic pets, and it had a picture of a two-tailed cat. Kagome's heart had nearly stopped when she saw it. She had hurried into the store to inquire about the advertisement, and she had imitated a fish out of water when she saw the cat itself. It was Kilala, Sango's cat demon companion!

When Kilala recognized Kagome, she began to mew loudly and stick her paws out of her cage to try to reach the girl. Kagome immediately rushed over and opened the cage, despite the sales clerk's shouts that it was dangerous and not to be handled.

As soon as the door was opened, Kilala rushed into her open arms and began to purr contentedly, snuggled into the safety of Kagome's embrace. Kagome had brought her up to the counter and asked the bewildered clerk about the cost. She paid and left with her old friend immediately.

Her discovery of Kilala left her with some thoughts. Would her other demon friends have lived through all these years? She guessed that it was possible, but not likely considering how stubborn and violent her demon friends were. In her time, demons existed primarily as slaves, pets, or pests. A very finite amount of demons were freed members of society. She thought of Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, and Koga. They would be nearly impossible to enslave, and they wouldn't fit into the pest or pet category since they possessed the ability to speak and reason. Only demons that were considered animals and un-sentient were classified as pets or pests. Shippo could have been enslaved, if he had remained the lovable vulnerable child that she remembered. She imagined he had grown up to be stronger and more independent, but she still felt that he would not be as indomitable as the taiyoukai, youkai, and hanyou.

Despite her doubts, she started to search for her friends. She had her slave rescue business put out a constant search out for any of her demon friends. She had found none so far, but she resolved to never give up until she at least knew what had become of her friends.

Kagome was working on her search one day. She currently had no slaves to work with, so she was out at demon markets and auctions and slave centers, looking for her friends and if nothing else, a suitable demon that she could work with to free.

Kilala was her constant companion who was at her always by her side. Even when she went to the slave markets, auctions, and centers Kilala stood beside her to help protect her and help find new prospects.

"And here we have this fine bat demon, very good for protection..." an auctioneer's voice drifted in and out of Kagome's hearing range.

Kilala's head perked up, and she sniffed the air excitedly. "Kilala, have we finally found someone?" Kagome asked her friend. Kilala was in her small kitten form and looking eager for Kagome to follow her.

Nodding her head for Kilala to lead the way, Kagome followed the cat demon at a quick pace. Kilala led her to a group of cages under a gazebo that were for sale. She stopped and sniffed at a cage just big enough to stand in that was near the corner of the gazebo. A startled cry of surprise came from the cage before its occupant reached between the bars to stroke the neko's soft fur. Kagome ran desperately to reach the cage. The owner reached it first though.

"What do you think you're doing! That obviously belongs to someone, can't you see the necklace it's wearing! Keep you filthy hands off of it!" he shouted at the slave petting Kilala. The man also slapped the hand smartly before it withdrew back into the cage.

"Hey! Leave them alone! They can pet her if they want to! They weren't hurting anything, so why are you hurting them!" Kagome demanded. She reached the cage and was panting from her dash to reach it.

Another cry of shock came from inside the cage, this time accompanied by an identifying, "Kagome!"

"Shippo!" Kagome wondered, stepping closer to examine the person inside the small cage.

Shippo stood there, looking like a grown teenage boy. Kagome knew that he was much older than he appeared, but she knew that his demonic blood would make his growth much more staggered and slow than human growth. He was dressed in ragged clothes with magic shackles and a magic collar, and he looked unhealthily skinny.

"Don't speak to her! Can't you see she is a priestess!" the owner demanded of Shippo, pointing to the imitation Shikon Jewel necklace around Kagome's neck. It was worn only by priestesses and accomplished mikos to identify them to the rest of the world.

"Yes master." Shippo replied dully, averting his eyes to the ground.

"I'm sorry about that Lady Priestess, he sometimes forgets his place." the man apologized to Kagome.

"He's done nothing wrong." Kagome said firmly. "I want to buy him."

Shippo glanced up since his master's back was turned to him and looked at Kagome with what she recognized as faith and hopefulness. Kagome gave him a warm loving smile and she blew a kiss at him. Reassured, Shippo smiled himself for the first time in years and resumed staring at the ground.

"Really? Well, I'll get his papers. It will only take a few minutes to retrieve them." the owner said as he turned and walked away to some stacks of papers.

As soon as he had turned to go, Kagome rushed to the cage and hugged Shippo through the bars. He started to cry with happiness from seeing his surrogate mother after all the years. Kagome murmured soothing words into his ear and simultaneously rubbed his back comfortingly.

Shippo was so happy it hurt inside his chest. The relief of finally being found by someone who cared was overwhelming and his heart felt full to burst. "Kagome, are you really going to buy me! Will you save me!"

Kagome pulled back enough so that she could still see him while holding him. "I'll always save you Shippo. I would never leave you while you were in trouble." she assured him.

The owner was returning with some papers so Kagome let Shippo go and stepped back a bit. Shippo wiped away his tears and turned his face downward.

"Here are some forms I need you to sign Lady Priestess." the man told her, handing some papers to her. Kagome signed where indicated and paid the man the money for Shippo. He unlocked Shippo's cage and handed her the key to the shackles. Shippo walked out quickly and stood behind Kagome. Kilala jumped into his arms and rubbed her head against his chest affectionately. He smiled and stroked her fur.

"We'll be leaving now." Kagome said simply.

"Don't forget that if you take off his shackles, he can use his demon powers, but only if you let him. Any other information you need is in these papers." the man told her, handing papers regarding Shippo to her.

"Thank you." Kagome replied, not sounding incredibly thankful. They walked away and Kagome took Shippo home where they could talk.

**First chapter done. You'll have to let me know if this idea is worth continuing. Feel free to review and point out any errors, grammatical or otherwise.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Aww! Such nice reviews make me feel warm and fuzzy inside! I love (platonic, don't worry) all of my reviewers so much! Well, I'll try to get off my butt and finish this chapter that I'm about to start.**

(-)

They were standing at the top of the steps to the Higurashi shrine. "Wow. Is this where you went everytime you jumped into the well?" Shippo asked with slight awe.

"Yeah, it is. I can show you the sealed well sometime. Now however, we have to get you settled in." Kagome told him, tapping his nose in an affectionate way.

"Okay." Shippo replied, almost sounding like his old cheerful self. Kagome's presence in his life again could almost make him forget his life of slavery.

They walked into the shrine, which had stayed almost the same since her time traveling days. The shrine's store that her grandfather had so cherished, had been turned into an office for Kagome's business. Her mother's room was now the room where she housed the demons that she cared for. If there was more than one demon that she was working with, her grandfather's room and her brother Sota's room could serve the same purpose.

Kagome opened the door to the upstairs bathroom. Kilala gave her characteristic mew before hopping out of Shippo's arms. "Well, I imagine a shower and some fresh clothes will feel good. So you can take a bath or shower and I'll go look for some clothes that are about your size. Does that sound good?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah. The showers and baths I've been given have been very basic and not pleasant." Shippo told her.

"But you do know how to work the faucets and the shower head right?" Kagome inquired with concern. Baths had always been a great source of comfort for Kagome, and she was unhappy to hear that someone had made bathing a harsh experience for her surrogate son. She had half a mind to ask him whom it was that had done it and give the offending person a swift kick in the face. And then maybe leave them bound and gagged at one of the nearby demon nests that she had so far been unable to completely destroy.

"Hai, I know how normal people take a shower or bath, so I'll manage fine by myself." Shippo assured her.

"Well then, I guess I'll go get those clothes." Kagome said, walking with Kilala down the hall to her brother's old room. Shippo walked into the bathroom.

'I can't believe this is happening. When my owner started to try to sell me, I wondered what fresh level of hell awaited me. But instead of misery and cruelty, I get kindness and sympathy.' Shippo thought with a contented sigh. He started running water so he could soak once he was done cleaning. In the meantime, he started to clean himself. It was quite a chore, considering how long it had been since he had been properly scrubbed instead of hosed down or rinsed off.

Kagome knocked on the door. "I'm going to shove the clean clothes in and then close the door. I promise not to peek."

"Thanks Kagome." Shippo replied gratefully. He heard the door open then a thump of cloth being dropped and then he heard the door close again. Under the circumstances, he couldn't help but laugh at the swift change in his life. Slaves were rarely allowed any privacy, and now Kagome was making sure to tell him that she wasn't going to peek.

Once he was satisfactorily clean, his skin had been scrubbed almost raw and was red. Shippo didn't mind. The skin would regenerate in a few hours anyway. Just one more perk of demon powers. Bad thing about being a demon was that it put you at the bottom of society. But he was sure Kagome would treat him just as she always had.

He only soaked for a short while, since his skin was sensitive and the hot water was bordering on painful. Then he got out and dried off. Kagome was probably waiting to catch up with him.

Sure enough, when he was dried and dressed, Kagome was leaning on the wall and waiting for him.

"Feel up to talking Shippo?" she asked cautiously. "I understand if you don't."

"No Kagome, I feel better than ever. And you should really be updated. A lot of things have gone on in history since you left for the last time and the well closed up." Shippo told her.

"Well the first thing I want to know is how long after that did you become a slave? And who else was enslaved?" she inquired.

"Inuyasha, Kilala, and I were the first enslaved demons actually." Shippo told her.

"Really? How did that happen?" Kagome wondered.

"We were living with Sango and Miroku in the reconstructed demon slayers village when they left on their last mission. The one where they were killed. But we were supposed to stay with their children, who by then, had grown up into young adults, at least for humans. Once their parents died, they didn't even wait until after their burial to mystically enslave us three. We…well, _I_ pleaded and told them that it wasn't what their parents wanted, it wasn't what they would have done, but they wouldn't listen. I-I don't want to tell you all the things they did to Inuyasha to break him. I heard…things, horrible things in the darkest hours of the night, and I saw him right afterwards, for the very last time, right before I was sold to my very first master. He-he was a wreck. He was so bloodied and bruised it was hard to recognize him. And he was mumbling to himself really pitifully. Your name came up frequently in his murmurings. I tried to talk to him but I-I think he was too far gone then." Shippo told her apologetically. His voice had a slight quaver to it, and he sounded shaken by his own words.

Kagome had streams of tears running down her face by now, and she was sniffling kind of pitifully herself. It hurt Shippo to watch the pain in her eyes, and it nearly killed him when she whimpered a few times before breaking down sobbing and gasping for breath and lying in a crumpled pile at his feet.

"Please don't cry Kagome. I've seen other broken demons like that, and they all managed to regain some of their personality back. It just took some time for them to recover and a little kindness from fellow slaves, since it's hard to find it in a master." Shippo tried to reassure her. He was rubbing slow soothing circles on her back and trying to comfort her so she would feel better and stop crying.

"Bu-but a-all the demons h-hate Inu-Inuyasha be-beca-cause he's a half-de-demon!" Kagome sobbed, taking great gasping breaths and speaking in a very miserable desolate tone.

"Let me tell you something Kagome. If anything in the world could have been done to make almost all kinds of demons accept each other, slavery was it. Not to say slavery is good, but I don't think that would have happened any other way. Most of the demons are like that. A few aren't but they don't live too long unless they're special." Shippo told her.

"R-Really?" Kagome asked, the flow of tears stopping and a small amount of hope gradually building in her voice.

"Yes Kagome, really. All the really powerful demons were enslaved too. And after a while, most of them stopped acting like they were better than us. Some still were snobby, or at least still acted like they were better than the humans-" Shippo was saying before Kagome interrupted him.

"You almost are. I mean, look at the horrible things that humans are capable of. The things that they can do…and have done already." Kagome said, sounding ashamed of her race.

"Not all humans are as cruel and sadistic as most of the demons would be if you humans were enslaved. A lot of demons would be doing much worse stuff than most of you humans are capable of. It just depends on the demon." Shippo explained.

Kagome was wiping her eyes and sitting up. "I'm sorry for breaking down like that Shippo. Here you are comforting me when you're the one who has it bad."

"It's okay Kagome. Everything will be okay now that I have you back." Shippo said confidently.

"Oh Shippo." was all she could say before she started to cry again, more softly, and reached out to grip him tightly. Normally he wouldn't have minded, but his skin was sensitive and it hurt even to wear clothes.

"Kagome." he said as he bit back a scream. "Could you maybe not hug me right now? It's very painful."

She immediately let go of him as if she had been burned. "I'm sorry Shippo. It's just that…well, I love you so much and I've missed you enormously."

"I know Kagome. Because I've missed you even more." he said with feeling.

(-)

**And I'll just leave it there at that touching moment. All the fluff came out naturally. I'll post this right after school today if I'm not too busy writing papers about Puritans and The Black Death. (Yeah, that's a hint that my homeworks being a biatch and updates will be even fewer and farther between.)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, my second chapter seems to be decent enough. And I seem to have general approval from my reviewers.**

(-)

"Shippo, do you feel like you would be able to go to the slave market and look for some other slaves? I run a business of freeing slaves after I've sort of counseled them for all the trauma they've been through. Unless of course, you need therapy? If so, you're my main priority." Kagome told Shippo the next morning.

"No, I haven't had it as bad as a lot of other demons, and I think living here with you is all I will ever want or need." Shippo assured her.

"If you're sure, then let's go." Kagome said. Kilala mewed eagerly.

While they were walking to the slave market, Shippo fell back onto old habits from being out in public with his old masters. He had his face to the ground, did not say anything, and stayed a few steps behind Kagome.

Noticing this, Kagome stopped and walked up to him and held his hand, and began walking again so that he was walking right beside her. Kilala purred reassuringly to him.

Suddenly, a young female panther demon approached them. She smiled and asked Kagome, "A new friend?"

"Actually, he's an old friend. This is my son Shippo." Kagome told the demon girl.

"So you found one of your demon friends? Wow, that's really great Kagome!" the girl said with excitement and a warm smile. "Hello Shippo, my name is Jen (A/n: Eeek, an OC! Don't worry your pretty little heads, she's minor and isn't a big part of the plot.). Your mom Kagome helped me gain my freedom."

"Hi." Shippo replied shyly.

"She told me how she had some demon friends who somehow weren't enslaved. She figured that after she lost contact with you, someone had captured you and made you a slave. I'm glad to know you're in good hands now." Jen told him with a smile.

"I am too." Shippo said, still not comfortable with speaking in public.

"And on that note, I found someone who matched one of your descriptions for your other demon friends. They're going to be sold at one o'clock today at an auction on Lanfrey Street." Jen informed her.

"What kind of demon?" Kagome asked.

"A full-blooded dog demon. He might be expensive, so you might want to make sure you have enough money before the auction. But I need to go to work soon, so I'll just give you the file." Jen said before pushing the folder into Kagome's hands and waving a hurried goodbye over her shoulder as she ran swiftly down the street.

"Sesshomaru?" Shippo wondered quietly.

"It really looks like it. I wonder what sort of state he'll be in. I'm sure he'll take a while before he makes any progress." Kagome said to Shippo as they walked in the direction of the auction.

(-)

When Kagome saw Sesshomaru at the showing before the auction, she realized that he would not be too terribly expensive at all. Because although he was a full-blooded dog demon, which brought his value up, he still had lingering traces of his once proud and hostile nature, which brought his value down.

People were edging around his cage as he growled and tried to intimidate them as best he could with a shackle on his wrist that was made for restraining his abilities and that bound him very close to the ground and a collar on his neck that had the fundamental spells to enslave a demon. It made it harder for him to move and so lessened his intimidation factor.

Kagome however, directly approached his cage with Shippo following warily behind her. As she drew closer, she saw that he was not in good shape. Not only did he look starved, but she also noticed that he was bruised and cut up all over. His whole body told of regular severe beatings that his demon powers couldn't heal while he remained weak and the shackle stopped them from getting more than a little of healing to his body.

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked soothingly. "Do you know who I am?"

"Human!" he snarled back. "Human wench of my half-brother from long ago! How have you lived so long?!"

"I can explain later, but Sesshomaru, I'm going to get you out of here. I'll take you to my house and we can work things out from there. I want you to know that if I buy you, things will change for the better for you. I promise." Kagome assured him.

"More likely that you want revenge for all the suffering I put you and your friends through when the world was as it should be." he snapped back. He was looking very distrustfully at her and she saw the wary look that was hidden in his eyes.

"Look Sesshomaru, I won't expect you to trust me right away. But I would appreciate it if you didn't attack me after I buy you. It would make both of our lives easier." Kagome told him.

Sesshomaru said nothing in return, but bared his fangs and growled intimidatingly. A man approached Kagome as she looked sadly at Sesshomaru.

"Are you going to be bidding on him at the auction?" he asked anxiously.

"Yes I will be. Why?" Kagome wondered, feeling the answer would be unpleasant.

"Everytime I try to auction him off, he gets like this. It really works against him, because everytime he doesn't sell, I have to discipline him and withhold his food for a few days. He is much better the rest of the time, given proper care, but I still need to be rid of him. Come auction time, he's more trouble than he's worth." the man told her.

Kagome glanced at Sesshomaru to see how he was taking all of this. He was glaring coldly at her, and his eyes seem to say, 'This is what you have done. This is what you have condemned my race to.'

It was almost like a physical blow. Kagome stepped back and visibly flinched. Her gut was clenching and unclenching, and her whole body was wracked with guilt. She had had episodes like this before, but never so intense! Kagome was dimly aware of Shippo trying to support her as she started to fall, and managed to regain her balance and composure. Kilala mewed concernedly.

"Come on, let's go get you a seat before the auction begins." Shippo said as Kagome tried to shake off his help.

"Okay Shippo, but I can walk. I just got dizzy all of a sudden, it's nothing." Kagome assured him with a smile, waving unconcernedly to dispel his fears. It was a lie of course, but Kagome figured that Sesshomaru was trying to play mind games with her and she wasn't about to let him know that they were working.

They got seats and waited for the auction to begin. When it did, Kagome found it hard not to buy some of the other slaves that looked in very poor shape. She just reminded herself that Sesshomaru needed to be mentally and physically healed just as badly, if not more.

Finally Sesshomaru came up for bids. His cage was brought onstage and he made a big show of snarling and sending spine-chilling looks into the crowd. Seeing this, the auctioneer started the bidding pretty low. Kagome put in her bid, and everyone had to glance at the brave person willing to buy this dangerous slave. When they saw the imitation Shikon Jewel around her neck they were relieved to see that he was going to a capable priestess who would hopefully straighten him out.

Some knew who she was and what she did, so she heard comments like, "Does she really think that she can make him safe? I hope that menace is never freed into society."

The auctioneer was assuming that Kagome's bid was the only one and was already closing the bidding. When Kagome heard him say, "Sold!" her attention snapped back to the auction. Sesshomaru was glaring spitefully at her, and Kagome got up to go pay for him since she had no wish to linger in such a horrible place.

When she had paid for Sesshomaru she went to release him from his cage. As she did, he growled menacingly at her. And while this still sent chills down her spine, she gave him a sad regretful look. "We both know that you're more dignified than this. Don't lower yourself to acting like an animal. You're better than that." Kagome told him quietly.

Sesshomaru looked at her distrustfully but he did stop thrashing, and he visually calmed. This whole situation was strange to him. It had been centuries since someone had told him that he could be better, instead of spitting on him and telling him how worthless he was. He had been promised good homes before and it was always the same. "Kind" masters always turned out to be the meanest and the cruelest. But he felt truth in her words, which worried him, since he was almost certain that she was deceiving him. If her deceptions ran so deep that they fooled his intuition, how would he stay ahead of her lies?

But then, flashes of memories from long ago came to him. He saw her, trying to help save Rin from Naraku. Tending to injuries of her enemies. He had seen more of her than one would think.

Rin…how he missed his little companion. He had been captured and enslaved trying to protect her. Some of the biggest slave traders had heard that the great majestic inu-youkai Sesshomaru had a little girl who traveled with him. It was said that he would protect her with his life, whether he was willing to admit it or not. So they grabbed Rin while she was looking for flowers to give to Sesshomaru. Her cries drew Sesshomaru instantly and as he rushed at the men holding her, he hit an invisible barrier. It was incredibly powerful and left him unable to move.

Sneering, more men moved in with shackles and a collar. Sesshomaru's strength returned, and he tried to get up or transform, but he couldn't. He failed to protect Rin and now she would be gone from him forever. As he was being taken away, with many fatalities from his struggle he was proud to say, he heard them saying something about dumping her in the next village they came to.

Whether that was what happened to her or not, he never knew. His last memory of her was her struggling and trying to get to him, shouting his name and crying desperately. Sesshomaru had never believed in gods who listened to the pleas of lesser beings, but he prayed to any cosmic being who was willing to help him to grant Rin a long and happy life. His icy heart ached with loss, and he knew that this would be the worst day of his life. No matter how bad things would get in the future, nothing could be worse than the day he lost Rin.

While he had been reliving the most miserable moments of his existence, Kagome had been gently guiding him towards her shrine. She had been watching his face carefully, and though his expression remained the same, his eyes spoke of great pain that Kagome could practically feel radiating off of him.

"Are you okay Sesshomaru?" she asked him, looking concerned. Realizing her mistake, she added, "Well of course you aren't okay, but you look troubled by something."

Sesshomaru merely continued to wear the same emotionless expression that he always did. "I promise things will get much better." she said quietly. Sesshomaru tried to rid his mind of the sincerity he felt from her words.

(-)

**Third chapter done. More backstory for Rin and Sesshomaru later. I hope this chapter was to your satisfaction. You are welcome to review and let me know what you liked or disliked about this chapter, or the story in general. I know I was stretching Sesshomaru's character in this one, but remember that time has passed in the flashback, and obviously in the current time, so he has changed a bit. (BTW: Sorry about the OC. She will make minimal appearances unless someone thinks she could significantly contribute to the plot.)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it's taken so long, but here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it!**

(-)

"If I take the shackle off, you won't be able to attack me, but it should let your demon regenerating powers take effect so you'll be healed. You can't attack Shippo either." Kagome added.

"Can I go cook dinner Kagome?" Shippo asked, eager to be far away from Sesshomaru once his shackle came off.

"Sure. But wait…I never took _your_ shackles off, did I? I'm such an idiot. You should have said something." Kagome told Shippo, pulling out the key that Shippo's previous owner had given her. She took his shackles off and he rubbed his wrists appreciatively.

"Thanks Kagome. I'll make something special. But it's going to be a surprise, so no peeking into the kitchen, okay?" Shippo made her promise.

"Okay Shippo. I need to talk to Sesshomaru now." Kagome said. She affectionately kissed the top of his head.

Shippo walked out of her mother's bedroom, which was where Sesshomaru was staying, and went into the kitchen. Kagome turned to look at Sesshomaru. He was standing there, his one armed wrapped around his chest, since he was still missing an arm. She noted that he didn't have a shirt on and his pants were very ragged. Scars and wounds and disfigurations from the punishments of being an unruly slave marred his once beautifully pale smooth skin.

"Sesshomaru, let me take your shackle off. Please don't struggle. We can talk until Shippo makes us some food." Kagome said. Sesshomaru just stared at her blankly. She undid his shackle and let it clatter to the floor.

"You still have an amazing poker face." Kagome said after a long pause.

"If you had said that the last time we met, I wouldn't have understood it." Sesshomaru commented.

"True. Shall we reminisce? What happened to Rin and Jaken?" Kagome asked. She registered the flash of pain in Sesshomaru's eyes.

"I'm not sure. I was captured while trying to save Rin, so the slave traders took her. But they said they would leave her at some village. Jaken was left back at the campsite, but it couldn't have been too long before he was slaughtered or captured without my protection." Sesshomaru told her.

"I could do some research, see if I can find her." Kagome offered.

Sesshomaru's eyes now looked sorrowful and full of longing. "Could you? I could know what happened to her?" he wondered, sounding so hopeful.

Kagome saw this and knew that this had to be part of his rehabilitation. "I'll do my best. Rin was a special girl, I'm sure she left some mark on history." Kagome replied confidently.

Sesshomaru sighed. He felt weaker than even slavery had made him. He was relying on this woman for comfort. She had gotten past his cold exterior and glimpsed some of his heart. No one was supposed to witness his heart's existence. Only Rin…

"You look like you have lots of thinking to do. I'll give you some space." Kagome said, walking out of the room.

"Dinner is ready!" Shippo called.

Kagome poked her head back in. "Aren't you coming? You look half starved. I know Shippo was when I first found him."

Sesshomaru nodded and followed her into the kitchen, which had the most pleasant and appealing aromas hovering in the air. Shippo was pouring some sort of noodle soup into three bowls.

"Dig in!" he encouraged them, setting a bowl in front of each of them and starting to eat his own.

Kagome let out an almost inaudible gasp. Then the two demons could smell salt from the tears that were silently rolling down her face. "This is ramen. Inuyasha loved ramen…"

Shippo looked guilty. "I thought it would cheer you up. I can make something else for you." he offered.

"No, I just have missed Inuyasha so much since…" she trailed off again.

"It's none of my business, but I would like to say that I know Inuyasha is alive and…well…alive anyway." Sesshomaru said.

Kagome's eyes got big. "You've seen him? When?!" she implored.

"The last time my owner tried to sell me, before this time, I saw him. He was in a very small cage and he seemed to have lost the ability to speak. I reached out to him and he recoiled. He showed signs of regular severe abuse. I think he might be beyond help." Sesshomaru told her. Shippo glared at him as Kagome sobbed harder.

"I d-d-don't care how m-m-m-much he's changed. He's still Inuyasha, and I can s-still get through to him. I'll do whatever it takes to help him once I find him." Kagome vowed. She had stopped crying and now had a determined look on her face.

"Well you'll have lots of work to do." Sesshomaru warned her.

"Until then I still have work to do. You're my work now Sesshomaru." Kagome reminded him, wiping her eyes.

"I'm fine." Sesshomaru insisted stubbornly.

"But you aren't your old self. I want to see the old Sesshomaru only a little less arrogant, a little less casually homicidal, and a little less mean. Think it's something that we can achieve?" Kagome asked.

"Possibly. Depends how casually I'm allowed to be homicidal." Sesshomaru replied seriously.

Kagome gave him a reproving look. "I can't set you free until I'm sure you won't hunt down your old masters and kill them slowly and painfully. Even though they deserve that and more." Kagome allowed.

"So if I kill them quickly…?" Sesshomaru wondered.

"No. Life has to be respected." Kagome replied. They had been eating as they talked, and now Kagome was done.

"I'll do the dishes Kagome." Shippo volunteered.

"Only tonight, and only because I'm so tired. I'm doing them tomorrow night, and the cooking as well." Kagome insisted.

"But I like to cook!" Shippo protested.

"Well then if you cook, I'll clean up." Kagome decided. "Sesshomaru, Shippo, you can keep eating until you're full, but I'm going to shower and hit the hay." She left the kitchen yawning and stretching.

"Did you have to tell her that Inuyasha was in such terrible shape?! You nearly broke her heart. She cares about him so much, she would die for him." Shippo told Sesshomaru.

"I know she would. But I wasn't going to lie to her." Sesshomaru replied.

"I suppose lying wouldn't achieve much. But you could have left out your opinion about his condition. I saw Inuyasha after he first got his spirit broken. I think with some hard work, she could get through to him. She melted right through you right?" Shippo asked with a cunning grin.

"You little spy, you were listening!" Sesshomaru realized furiously.

He made a move to reach for Shippo, but before he could, Shippo said, "Wait. I understand. Rin seemed like a very nice girl. From what I saw of her, she was sweet. She would have to be to contrast your sour."

"I'm not sour, I'm have a hardened heart. There is a difference." Sesshomaru informed him huffily.

"Okay, if you say so." Shippo shrugged. "Anyway, I'll help Kagome look for Rin."

"…I suppose I should thank you. But, I don't think I will." Sesshomaru said, sounding very snobby, like his old self.

(-)

**Done at last! I hope you like it. And I plan for the next chapter to be the story of what happened to Rin after Sesshomaru was captured.**


	5. Chapter 5

**As promised, you will learn of what happened to Rin. I hope the OC in the story doesn't make it bad.**

(-)

"Sesshomaru, I think I found Rin. I think she's in this story called, 'The Girl who Loved a Demon'. It's the life of a girl who went around liberating slaves and saving them from all cruelty." Kagome said.

"And you believe it is Rin?" Sesshomaru wondered.

"Yes, and you'll see why when I read it to you." Kagome replied. So Kagome told him the story:

_Once there was a young girl, whose life was filled with misfortune. First, her entire family was slaughtered by bandits in front of her very eyes. This horrible event left her mute and an orphan. One day, she was playing in the forest when she came upon an injured demon. He was hostile to her, but she conquered her fear and tried to bring him some food to help him heal. She was even beaten for getting fish for him. When the demon saw her bruises, he asked about how she had gotten them. She simply laughed and smiled._

_Later, after she had left him, her village was set upon by wolves that began to devour the villagers. She herself was chased by wolves through the forest. She was trying to run to the demon in hopes that he would protect her but she tripped, the wolves bit into her, and she died._

_The demon had recovered and he was going to leave the area, until he smelled the girl's blood on the wind. He guessed that she had been killed, and went to find her body. He possessed a powerful sword with the ability to raise and heal the dead. The demon slashed at the imps that had come to take the girl's spirit to the netherworld. Once they were disposed of, the girl came back to life. After that, she followed him everywhere._

_The girl loved her demon deeply, and he took care of her. He always had a cold demeanor, that only she could penetrate. Her love for him warmed his icy heart. She looked up to him as a father, protector, and friend. _

_One day, she was set upon by demon slave traders who were determined to capture the powerful taiyoukai who also happened to be the Lord of the Western Lands. The demon came to her aid only to be paralyzed by the strong holy barriers that the slave trader's priests had set up to capture him. In the end, he was captured and the girl was dumped at the first village the slave traders came to._

_The village where the girl was left at was a village of strong warriors. She was trained to defend herself with a set of two small daggers. Once she was able to travel on her own, she set out from the warrior village to find her foster demon father. She knew that he had been made into a slave, so she searched all the slave markets and auctions._

_At one of the markets, she saw a dragon boy in a cage. He looked badly beaten, but the girl took one look at him and fell in love. She had saved some money to buy her demon father, but she spent it all on the boy so she could be with him. He was moved by her compassion for demons and when he saw her kind heart, he fell in love with her too. They traveled together as equals, earning money and trying to liberate or at least improve the lives of slaves everywhere._

_The girl was ever compassionate to demon slaves, no matter how they despised her for being a human. In the end, all the demons ended up loving her for her kind and cheerful nature. History says that she and the dragon boy married and had a hanyou child. It also says that her and her husband's lives ended when their child was captured and made into a slave. They both died trying to protect their only offspring. In the end, she never found her demon, but she found happiness another way._

By the end of the story, Sesshomaru had let a single tear run down his cheek. His breathing had become labored, and he looked like he was trying to contain his grief.

"She was killed." he said with shock.

"But she died defending her child, whom I'm sure she loved with all her heart. Like she loved you, Sesshomaru." Kagome told him.

" 'The Girl who Loved a Demon'. Am I the demon in the title, or is her dragon husband?" Sesshomaru wondered.

"You of course. You heard how the story ends. 'She never found her demon'. You're her demon Sesshomaru. Even if she loved all the other demons in the world, you'd still be the most dear to her." Kagome assured him.

"You can't be so certain." Sesshomaru said flatly.

"I can." Kagome retorted, sounding very sure of herself.

"But their child…may still be alive?" Sesshomaru asked.

"I've already put out a search for a half-dragon-demon slave. As soon as I get any news, I'll tell you." Kagome assured him.

It was weeks before any news came. But sure enough, one day, Jen appeared on Kagome's step bringing news of a dragon hanyou being sold at the same slave market that she had bought Shippo at, by the same man even.

Once they arrived at the market, Sesshomaru sniffed the air and pulled Kagome after him. "I can smell the hanyou. She's over here." he said.

And in one of the cages, there was a girl who was the spitting image of Rin, except for the blue scaly tail, the long talon like fingernails, and the unnaturally aquamarine eyes she had. She looked to be about the same age Rin was when Sesshomaru first met her.

"Dragons age slower than canine demons even." Sesshomaru told himself. This girl was not Rin, she was just of Rin. But that would be enough for him.

"How much is she?" Kagome asked the man. The man looked at Shippo and Kilala, and then at Sesshomaru who was staring at the girl as if under a spell.

"Are you a collector?" he asked her.

"Yes, I am." Kagome replied.

"She's rare. Dragon blood, even diluted, is not often to be found in slaves. Five hundred. Take it or leave it." the man told her.

"I'll take it. Now get her out of the cage and take off her shackles immediately." Kagome ordered him.

"With all due respect priestess, you'll have to do that yourself when you get her home. She's old enough now to exhale poisonous chlorine gas. She could kill us all." the man informed her.

"Fine then, just get me her papers so we can leave." Kagome said.

Meanwhile, Sesshomaru had walked up to the cage. "Sesshomaru?" the little girl wondered.

"Yes, I am Sesshomaru." he replied.

"I knew it. Mommy told me you would find us some day. A strong dog demon with long white hair and a missing arm. You're my grandpa Sesshomaru!" the girl squealed with delight.

"I came, but I'm a bit late. You're mommy is long gone." Sesshomaru said sadly.

"Yes, her and Daddy died trying to protect me. But she said if we ever got separated, you would find me someday and be my new daddy!" the girl told him excitedly.

"Your new daddy?" Sesshomaru wondered with surprise. How could he, a slave, provide for this little hanyou girl who adored him just as Rin had?

"Yup. My name's Ren." she introduced herself, putting out her hand and shaking his through the bars.

Kagome came up behind him. "Is that your wife?" Ren asked.

Sesshomaru looked a bit embarrassed. "No just a friend of mine. She's going to buy you so we can be together." he told her.

"Sesshomaru, I think now you'll be ready to be set free, along with her." Kagome said.

"Where will I find a job? Who will hire me?" Sesshomaru asked her.

"Don't worry. One of my old friends is a slave I freed. He's now the owner of a huge company. He told me he was always willing to hire good demon slaves that I freed so they could survive in society." Kagome told him.

"So I can keep her?" Sesshomaru asked, looking affectionately at the dragon hanyou.

"Of course. You'll both be free, so you can live wherever you want to and do whatever you want to, within the law of course." Kagome said.

"Thank you Kagome." Sesshomaru said gratefully.

"I'm just glad you're happy." she replied with a fulfilled smile.

(-)

**Done with this chapter. Summer at last! Hopefully my fanfictions will get some work and not just my stories. Review if you want to! Hope the OOC bits didn't suck. Sorry for those of you wishing for a SessxKag, but I promised myself I would try to make it InuxKag.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the huge delays even though it is summer. I'm lazy and have frequent writer's block.**

**School now. And I have four honors classes expecting my best 110 percent effort and three classes besides expecting me to do well.**

(-)

Over the next few months, Shippo settled in to life at the shrine and Kagome worked with a few more slaves. She had freed Shippo, Sesshomaru, and Ren all at the same time. No more news of her other friends had been heard. Sesshomaru and Ren were living in a nice apartment down the street from the shrine, and visited often. Sesshomaru was such a good businessman that he had been promoted twice already. Ren and Shippo had become good friends despite the slight age difference. Both Shippo and Ren were going to school, although Ren was in grade school and Shippo was in highschool. They had trouble making friends and fitting in, but Kagome and Sesshomaru were good parents and Ren and Shippo were happy despite their social problems.

One day, Sota came to visit. He arrived dressed in his demon slayer uniform, which was identical to Kohaku's, and he looked serious.

"Sis, I have something for you." he told her.

"What is it?" she asked uneasily, unnerved by the grave look in his usually cheerful gaze.

"It's Inuyasha. I've found him." he told her.

"What?!" Kagome cried, so happy she could dance.

"It's not so great Kagome. He's in abysmal shape. I don't want this to hurt you." Sota said.

"Is he that bad?" she wondered, sounding a little skeptical.

"He's worse than that bad. Trust me, you won't like seeing him like this. Now when I show him to you, don't run at him or try to touch him. Just approach him cautiously and unthreateningly. He's started to get used to me, but he still doesn't trust me. He didn't even recognize me." Sota warned her.

Kagome was a little afraid to see Inuyasha now. She didn't want to see him as a destroyed person, mindless and obedient as he no doubt would be. Sota took her outside and there, tied to the Goshinboku, was Inuyasha. He was squatting and down on all fours.

"Sota, why would you tie him up?" she asked, her own voice sounding distant. She started to walk up to release him.

"No, don't Sis!" Sota shouted.

Inuyasha started growling. Then he barked at her and tugged against his leash, snapping his teeth and acting wild. Kagome's eyes widened and she looked horrified.

"No." she whispered, praying that this wasn't what it looked like. She tentatively reached out her hand and he drew back and whimpered.

"He's waiting for me to hit him." she said in realization, her voice choked with tears. They were streaming down her face. She sank to her knees and started sobbing. Now she knew why Sota had looked so grave. Inuyasha's experiences as a slave had turned him feral. He was like a vicious abused dog now. Since she hadn't hit him, Inuyasha continued to bark at her.

"What's that noise Kag-" Shippo wondered, coming out the door. His face fell as he saw Inuyasha tied to a tree and barking, and Kagome on the ground, falling to pieces before his eyes.

"Oh no. Kilala, come here." Shippo said, summoning the cat demon. He and Kilala approached Kagome and started to comfort her, Kilala rubbing against Kagome's legs and Shippo rubbing her back.

"Shippo, how will I do this? I'm not sure if I can make him be Inuyasha again." Kagome sobbed.

"Kagome, I believe you can do anything. And the person who Inuyasha needs most in this world is you. You're the only person who can bring him out of this, I know it." Shippo said encouragingly.

"No pressure." Kagome said sarcastically, sniffling.

Now Sota approached them. "Come on Kagome, let's go inside. We'll leave Inuyasha outside, it's where he's happiest."

Once inside, Sota sat Kagome down and got her some tea. "I was hoping that I could leave him with you. I knew you would want to take care of him."

"Of course he'll stay here. I have to fix whatever they've done to him." Kagome said. Whatever she said before, she was now determined to transform him back into the Inuyasha she remembered.

"We can help Kagome." Shippo said, indicating himself and Kilala.

"Thanks guys," Kagome said. She hugged Shippo and Kilala tightly for a moment.

Then she withdrew from them and looked at Inuyasha thoughtfully. She sighed. "But in the end, I will be the one to save him."

(-)

Late that night when Sota had left and Shippo and Kilala were asleep, Kagome went out to Inuyasha. He immediately barked at her, but she shushed him and he calmed a little. He still looked threatened when she reached out to him. He recoiled but she gently patted his head. He shrank from the touch, afraid of being lured into a false sense of security. When she went to touch his ears, she noticed that they were no longer the perfect soft white dog-ears she remembered. Someone had burned, bitten, and even pierced one. She hadn't noticed the stud earring.

She tried to gently caress his ears, but he immediately lunged at her, throwing her to the ground, almost just beyond his reach. He was slicing at her ankles, and she pulled them away and instinctively yelled, "Sit!"

Inuyasha was slammed into the ground and as he pulled himself up, he murmured, "Kagome?"

(-)

**And I will leave you hanging there. Sorry, but if you wanted to know how Inuyasha turned out, here it is. It's shorter than most of my updates, but I've got a wicked hard time at school and I'm dead when I finally get home. Big thanks to my friend Erin for getting me out of my writer's block and for suggesting an end to this chapter! **


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